Magnetic assembly for filtering



9, 1969 SABURO MIYATA MAGNETIC ASSEMBLY FOR FILTERING Filed Feb. 14,1967 r r I /////l//// ml s S s s sf [All I FIG].

FIG.8.

ii 20 N F G 2 INVENTOR Soburo Miyom m N I45 AGENT United States Patent3,462,720 MAGNETIC ASSEMBLY FOR FILTERING Saburo Miyata, 58 ShimoTakanawa, Minato-ku, Yokohama, Japan Filed Feb. 14, 1967, Ser. No.615,976 Int. Cl. Htllf 7/02 US. Cl. 335-305 12 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE Permanent magnets are provided for producing high fluxdensity for removal of paramagnetic particles from fluids in contactwith said magnets. There is also a helical spring type enclosure orconfining means for individual magnets or linearly arranged groupsthereof, whereby individual magnets may not contact each other to shortout the magnetic forces of a pair or group of such magnets, or in whicha linear assembly has the individual magnets so constructed and arrangedthat the flux at adjacent poles is a maximum.

This invention relates to a magnetic assembly for filtering and moreparticularly to a construction and arrangement of magnets for obtaininga high flux density.

An object of this invention is to provide an enclosure or confiningmeans to prevent contact of individual magnets under certain conditions.

Another object of this invention is the provision of an arrangement ofmagnets within a suitable helical spring type enclosure whereby a highdensity flux is produced.

A further object of this invention is the provision of enclosing orconfining means for magnets in magnetic filters wherein the magnets areprevented from contact with one another but are substantially 100%exposed to fluids in contact therewith.

These and other objects will become apparent from a consideration of thefollowing description taken with the accompanying drawings whichtogether comprise a complete disclosure of my invention.

In the prior art, several filter arrangements using a plurality ofdiscrete magnets, arranged in the path of a fluid, have been proposed.In the patent to Maynard, No. 2,943,739, a plurality of sphericalmagnets are heterogeneously arranged in a casing. They are claimed asimmovably or retentatively disposed in the container. From the manner offilling, as described, it is difficult to see how alignment andrearrangement can be prevented. Such contact tends to reduce or nullifysome of the magnetic coercive force. In the patent to Moriya, No.3,059,910, the heterogeneous or random arrangement of the magnets 36 ismaintained by the plastic sleeves 38. In the patent to Moriya, No.3,206,657, means have been shown for the heterogeneous arrangement ofthe magnets in a filter. The devices of both Moriya patents have beenfound too expensive to produce.

The arrangements of the present invention, which have been found to besuperior to those of the prior art will now be described.

In the drawings, wherein like parts are indicated by like or similarcharacters of reference:

FIG. 1 is an axonometric view of a single magnet according to thisinvention;

FIG. 2 is an elevation of a modified form of magnet according to thisinvention;

FIG. 3 is an axonometric view of a further modified form of magnet;

FIG. 4 is an elevation of an assembly including a plurality of themagnets of this invention;

FIG. 5 is a vertical section through a device in which magnets accordingto this invention are formed;

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FIG. 6 is a schematic showing of a member such as is shown in thefragmentary view of FIG. 4;

FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 are respectively vertical sections of different typesof in-line filters including randomly arranged magnets according to thisinvention.

Referring now to FIG. 1, I show a magnet 10 consisting of a cylinder 11having plane ends, only one, 12, being shown and having an encompassingmeans consisting of spaced turns of a helically arranged spring wire 14of nonmagnetic material, which has its ends, only one showing, bent overthe ends of the cylinder, as at 15.

In FIG. 2, there is shown a magnet 16 which has a cylindrical body 17, aspherical end 18 and beveled portion 19 which merges into a sphericalend 20.

In FIG. 3, there is shown a prismatic magnet 21 which may be cubical,and is preferably encompassed by a coil of nonmagnetic wire 14 as in thecase of the magnet 10 of FIG. 1.

The magnet assembly 24 of FIG. 4 can be of indefinite length and may beformed into a coil 40, encompassing a plurality of magnets 10 and 16, asshown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 5 shows one method and apparatus for forming magnets 21. They areplaced between two parallel plates 25 and 26, each magnetized throughits thickness. The cubes 121, enclosed in wires 14, as for the magnet21, are placed in a random arrangement between the plates 25 and 26. Theflux passing between the plates magnetizes the cubes 121 to form magnets21.

In FIG. 6 there is shown a magnet assembly which is the assembly of FIG.4, made of suflicient length to form a coil. An assembly such as '40 maybe placed in a container containing fluid that may be contaminated byparamagnetic particles, such as the crank case of an internal combustionmotor, preferably in a motor vehicle, or within the filtering element ofan oil filter.

In FIG. 7, there is shown a type of filter 27 adapted to be connected ina fluid line, and consists of a cylindrical portion 28 having end caps29 and 30. The end cap 29 is provided with an inlet 31, and the end cap30 is provided with an outlet 32. Inside the end cap 29 there is aforaminous filter 33, separated from the end cap 29 by an annulus 36.Within the cylinder 28, between the filters 33 and 35, there is aplurality of magnets 21, with randomly oriented poles, forming a porousmass of magnetic material.

In the filter shown in FIG. 8, the casing 45 is adapted to be insertedin a line through which fluid is flowing, which fluid may becontaminated with paramagnetic particles. The casing 45 is surrounded bya coil 46, enclosed in a cylinder 47 having end plates 48 and 49. In thecasing 45 and having their outer faces substantially in the planes ofthe coil 46 are perforated pole pieces 50 and 51. Within the chamber 52formed by the cylinder 45 and the pole pieces 50, 51, adjacent the polepieces '50 and 51, respectively, are foraminous filters 53 and 54. Thechamber 52 is filled with members 55 which consist of steel rods 56 eachhaving a coil 14 of wire of nonmagnetic material wound about it as withmagnets 10. The rods 56 are randomly arranged in the chamber 52, andwhen the coil 46 is energized, they become magnets with randomlyoriented poles in that the poles of different members 55 are on variousaxes with respect to the axes of rods. The assembly becomes a porousmass of magnetic material.

In FIG. 9, there is shown a casing 145, similar to casing 45 in FIG. 8.In the casing there are two perforated magnets and 151, axiallymagnetized. Inside the chamber 152, adjacent the magnets 1'50 and 151,respectively, are foraminous filters 153 and 154. The chamber 152 ispacked with bodies 155 comprising rods 156, as the bodies and rods 55and '56 in FIG. 8. The strong flux generated in the chamber 152magnetizes the rods 156 producing a porous magnetic mass in the chamber152.

In the cases of the magnets and 21, the coils 14 prevent contact of anypole of a magnet with a like or unlike pole of another magnet.Therefore, when these magnets are used in devices such as those shown inFIGS. 7, 8 and 9, there is no appreciable loss of the coercive force ofindividualmagnets. In the case of magnets 10, the coils 14 maketangential contact with the cylindrical surfaces of the magnets, so thatthe surface available for attracting and entrapping paramagneticparticles approaches 100% of the total surface. In the case of magnets21, there are no surfaces that are occluded by the coils. The members 55and 155, in use, act in the same manner as the magnets 10 and 21, andthe remarks above made relative to occluded peripheral surfaces applyequally to these forms.

In the device as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 6, the magnets 10 and 16alternate so that there is no full face contact between magnets. Thespherical ends 18, 20 of the magnets 16 make tangential contact with theplane ends of the magnets 10, thus causing a minimum of reduction orcancellation of the coercive forces in the area between the magnets 10and 16. The wire coil 14 keeps the arrangement in proper order, and whenan indefinite length of such an assembly is coiled as in FIG. 6, themagnets cannot contact one another in different turns of the helix.

From the above, it should be apparent that I have produced assembliesfor filtering wherein intense magnetic flux is present producing strongcoercive forces which effectively entrap paramagnetic particles.

While this invention has been set forth in certain preferred forms, Idesire it to be understood that other modifications or changes may bemade within the skill of the art and the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a magnetic assembly for filtering wherein at least a plurality ofmagnets are arranged for contact with a fluid containing paramagneticcontaminants, the improvement comprising means preventing movement ofone magnet relative to another, said means comprising means permittingsubstantially 100% exposure of the magnets to the fluid, the movementpreventing means comprising a helical coil of spaced turns of roundnonmagnetic wire encompassing each said magnet.

2. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein the magnet is a cylinder,and the ends of the helical coil are bent over the ends of the cylinder.

3. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein the magnet is a prism,and the ends of the helical coil are bent over two opposite faces of theprism.

4. The structure as defined in claim 3 wherein the prism is a cube.

'5. In a magnetic assembly for filtering wherein at least a plurality ofmagnets are arranged for contact with a fluid containing paramagneticcontaminants, the improvement comprising means preventing movement ofone magnet relative to another, said means comprising means permittingsubstantially exposure of the magnets to the fluid, the magnet assemblycomprising a cylinder having end plates, a fluid inlet and a fluidoutlet respectively in an end plate, and a porous mass of magneticmaterial in the space enclosed by said cylinder and said end plates, theporous mass of magnetic material comprising a pluarity of discretemagnets, randomly arranged in the space and having randomly orientedpoles.

6. The structure as defined in claim 5 including means preventingreorientation of the discrete magnets while permitting substantially100% exposure of the exterior surface to the fluid.

7. The structure as defined in claim 6 wherein the reorientationpreventing means comprises a helical coil of round nonmagnetic wireencompassing each discrete magnet, whereby to prevent physical contactbetween magnets.

8. The structure as defined in claim 7 including means causing anintense magnetic flux in the space occupied by the magnets.

9. The structure as defined in claim 8 wherein the flux causing means isan electromagnet surrounding the cylindrical member.

10. In a magnetic assembly for filtering wherein at least a plurality ofmagnets are arranged for contact with a fluid containing paramagneticcontaminants, the improvement comprising means preventing movement ofone magnet relative to another, said means comprising means permittingsubstantially 100% exposure of the magnets to the fluid, the magneticassembly comprising a linear arrangement of cylindrical magnets eachhaving plane end faces, alternating with cylindrical magnets each havingend portions terminating in a portion of a sphere making tangentialpoint contact with the adjacent plane end cylindrical magnets.

11. The structure as defined in claim 10, wherein one end of each ofsaid magnets, having part spherical ends, is beveled inwardly from thecylindrical portion, and said beveled portion merging into the sphericalportion.

12. The structure as defined in claim 10 wherein the movement preventingmeans comprises a helical coil of spaced turns of round nonmagnetic wireencompassing the linear assembly.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,430,157 11/1947 Byrd 210--22.22,951,586 9/1960 Moriya 210 -223 3,035,703 5/1962 Pall 210-223 3,124,7253/ 1964 Leguillon 335-303 FOREIGN PATENTS 912,249 12/ 1962 GreatBritain.

G. HARRIS, Primary Examiner US. Cl. XaR. 210-223

